Nissan strengthens presence in India despite global restructuring

The Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan remains optimistic about its expansion plans in India, despite globally planned job cuts. The President of Nissan India Operations, Frank Torres, emphasized that the dismissal of 9,000 employees and the reduction of production by 20 percent will not affect the Indian market as long as competitiveness is maintained. Nissan has recently hired 600 employees at its Chennai plant to support a third shift. This measure aims to increase production, supported by the introduction of two new models. Nissan is expected to triple both domestic and export volumes to 100,000 units annually by the end of the 2026 fiscal year. In July, the company announced the introduction of five new models within the next two and a half years as part of its growth strategy for the Indian automotive market. The third shift at the Chennai plant has already begun to drive full capacity utilization. By 2026, Nissan aims to run the plant with both production lines on three shifts, which is expected to increase utilization to over 80 percent. In collaboration with Renault, Nissan also plans to create over 2,000 new jobs in India as part of a USD 600 million investment plan. This plan also includes the integration of new technologies, including electric vehicles, and the modernization of a production line. For the fiscal year 2024-25, Nissan India anticipates a sales increase of four percent to 31,155 units.